permafrost thaw News

Scientists are calling the moments when methane gases erupt from the earth "dragon Burps," and the sleeping dragon is beginning to burp with greater frequency as climate scientists discover more blowholes in the Arctic north regions.

Potsdam -
Climate change is likely to transform landscapes worldwide, affecting most of Earth’s forests and agriculture — and it isn’t a far future scenario, says a new report. Profound changes in the world’s ecosystems could happen less than 90 years hence

Evidence assembled from stalactite and stalagmite formations in frozen caves in Siberia by a team of international scientists led by Oxford University gives some clues as to what might happen if global temperatures continue to rise.

Thawing of permafrost is expected to cause significant additional global warming, not yet accounted for in climate predictions, warn scientists attached to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in a report released this week..

permafrost thaw Image

Warming permafrost softens coastlines, making it more vulnerable to wave action and promoting erosion along
the Arctic coast of Alaska. A large block of ice-rich permafrost has detached from the mainland and will quickly disintegrate
(photo: Christopher Arp).